Scottish clubs told of restrictions when team training returns

Image source, SNS Group

Image caption, Players will be asked to wash their own kit and equipment will be cleaned after each session

Tackling will be banned, equipment disinfected and players' temperature checked when Scottish football teams return to training.

Protocols sent to clubs and obtained by 大象传媒 Scotland say objects such as corner flags, balls, cones, and GPS trackers should be cleaned after each session.

The Scottish FA will lift football's suspension on 11 June, allowing clubs to resume non-contact group training.

Scottish football is aiming to restart on 1 August.

Initially, players will return in staggered time slots with minimised numbers of coaching staff, with precise group numbers subject to Scottish government guidelines, while social distancing must be maintained.

Each player and member of staff will have to fill out a Covid-19 questionnaire before every session, while also being subject to a contactless temperature check to ensure they are free from the virus.

Guidelines for players also say they, and others in their household, should not leave the house aside from training and must not have contact with neighbours or receive visitors.

Players will also be asked to wash their own kit as part of a raft of measures designed to combat the spread of coronavirus, which also includes:

  • Players and staff refraining from spitting and chewing gum
  • Players and staff maintaining the highest level of cleanliness and hygiene at home and in their cars
  • Players travelling to and from the training ground individually in their own cars, with public transport to be avoided
  • Clubs having to create a pre-training screening area and sanitation station
  • PPE must be worn by medical staff in close contact with players, including those conducting tests and checks

The third phase of the return will allow for non-injured players to use indoor facilities, but social distancing and limited numbers will still be enforced.

Some restrictions will be eased in the fourth phase, which will see "normal" contact group training resume, though the rules must comply with government guidance on group gatherings.

Clubs will carry out their own Covid-19 tests, rather than use the NHS, and will conduct them twice a week for the foreseeable future, but due to high demand, it could take up to six weeks for testing machines to be delivered.

Players deemed high risk, or who live with someone designated as high risk, can either train as normal or live separately from the person in question, while other staff can work from home.

Every club must appoint a Covid-19 officer to oversee the enforcement of the rules.